The removal of Jim Acosta’s Press Credential has become a very big deal for the Democrats, they have turned it into a “talking point” which they hope to use to denigrate President Trump, of course. That CNN’s Acosta behaved very badly indeed in trying to hijack a Presidential Press Conference was a disgrace. Still chafing from the suggestion that the press was not truthful and “the enemy of the people” he wanted to disagree with the President because he called the migrant caravan an “invasion,” so he took it upon himself to argue with the President and tell him that he was wrong, while hogging the press conference and the ability to ask questions. Extraordinarily rude.

Reporters are there to ask questions of the President, and get him to clarify his answers, but not to take control of the press conference. Acosta, having had his turn, refused to turn the microphone to a White House Intern, assigned to pass it on to another reporter waiting for his turn. He didn’t choose to give it up, and there’s disagreement over whether or not he shoved her, or just yanked the microphone away. Obviously a matter of earthshaking political concern. Mr. Acosta, if he cared to investigate the opinions of many Americans, might be astonished to learn that a vast majority of the public are concerned about the extremely partisan reporting by the media, and angry about it.

This has been a sad week. First someone was sending pipe bombs to President Trump’s detractors. The Media was quite sure it was President Trump or someone on his behalf. The people weren’t quite so sure. President Trump spoke out emphatically, and set the FBI on the case. They promptly found a fingerprint on one of the bombs, found the nutcase, and put him in jail. Excellent work by the FBI. We still don’t know if any of the mailed bombs would actually have blown up.

Then in Philadelphia, an Anti-Semite conducted a mass shooting in a synagogue where a religious ceremony was taking place, killing eleven people and wounding six, and 3 policemen as well. I simply cannot understand how in today’s world some people cannot seem to allow others to have differing or opposing views. And I just don’t understand Anti-Semitism, nor how anyone can hold such crackpot ideas.

PJ Media published a useful article in response:“Everything You Think You Know About an Active Shooter Situation is wrong.” No one ever expects to be caught in such a situation, but knowing what to do if you are – is valuable information. Print out the article, teach your family and your friends. It’s called ALICE training. There’s a video of a lawyer being attacked by a deranged shooter, that helps to explain how he stayed alive.

There are good people and bad people out there, and a smattering of nutcases, we don’t have any idea how many. All kinds of emergency situations might arise. Take the trouble to prepare as best you can. And while you’re at it, get a flu shot.

I was just mulling over my first sentence, when John Hinderaker at the Powerline Blog wrote it for me. “The Democratic Party has turned into a crazed, howling mob. It is degrading our public life to a degree that has not been seen since they seceded in 1861.”

Front Page Magazine, David Horowitz’s website, wrote about how they had updated their “Discover the Networks” site, so to investigate, I went there and entered “Antifa” because of all the riots in Portland. The same bunch comes to Seattle when the possibility of a good riot seems imminent, probably adding on some locals. Antifa is pronounced ón–tee–fah, emphasis on the ón. It’s a shortened form of antifacist, but they’re more correctly identified as anarchist. They simply want to permanently wipe the United States off the face of the earth.

Thus those designed to protect and defend the nation’s civil society are illegitimate as well, so they’re against the police, ICE, federal state and local governments and want to make the United States “ungovernable” by engaging in mass insurrection, and mass resistance and all manner of physical violence against supporters of President Trump in order to advance social justice and crush “fascism.” Nice bunch.

It’s a long and thorough article, and very interesting. Lots of druggies among them, and perhaps even more people who get a high or rush from physical violence. I came away with the feeling that it’s all the high from physical violence, for their understanding of politics, political systems, social justice, or fascism is severely lacking. Made me think that we desperately need to imbue our educational system from the very start with a deep understanding of what it means to be human. Any vision of a serene society where we all just get along and we all help each other and share our stuff, and food, and shelter, is simply bonkers. There is no such thing as “social justice.” Socialism is not a system for sharing and equality, but a system for coercive control by greedy leaders. Doesn’t work, cannot work, has never worked, as would-be socialists assume.

Our “social media,” supposedly designed to bring people together, does no such thing. Families don’t get along. Siblings fight or detest each other. You lose friends. Some people are deeply ignorant. Some are mean. Some get a high from violence. We are each solitary individuals in a complicated world in which we have to learn how to make our way. And our journey will be filled with hope and misery. We will lose friends and family, we will be fired from jobs, get into accidents and be cheated. So revel in the good days and appreciate them as a triumph over adversity which is always waiting just around the corner. Add Discover the Networks to your list of useful websites. They explain just who the organizations are, and who the players are, and what they are all up to.

How extremely odd this is when we are just discovering again what a blessing we enjoy to live in one of the freest societies in the world, with a free economy that is growing and prospering. And the opposing party can only demand that we shut all the prosperity down. A strange world indeed.

Here’s a travelogue for the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. It’s the city where the Columbia River and the Willamette River (pronounced will Lam et, not willa met) meet and the latter flows right through the middle of the city.

Residents say”don’t go downtown, it’s too dangerous” The problem seems to be Antifa, some kind of vicious organization that claims to be anti-fascist with no understanding of what is and is not fascist. They dress up in black, particularly black masks to hide their identity, break windows, set fires, beat on cars and threaten ordinary residents who do not do what they are told. Very much like Nazi jackboots of another era. What they want is unclear, other than what they do, which is beyond unacceptable. The Portland Police have chosen to refrain from getting involved, so they just watch, supported by the Mayor,

Occasionally we have an Antifa outbreak in Seattle, when there seems to be something worth rioting about. I don’t know whether it’s the same bunch or not. I don’t know what, if anything, they advocate, other than causing trouble and damage. Significant terms in jail might help. But apparently you are not supposed to do anything about a violent mob of Leftist rioters — someone might get hurt.

That this statistic is considered major news says something important about America. I’m just not quite sure what it does say, but it is very, very sad.

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) – Two people were wounded in shootings within 24 hours Friday as colder temperatures moved through Chicago. In a 22-hour span, between 12:30 a.m. and 11 p.m., no one was wounded by gunfire.

Democrats are congratulating themselves for their success in putting a bunch of activists in the elevator with Jeff Flake screaming about rape and coverups and women being attacked and the whole litany of Kavanaugh abuse. It got Jeff Flake in a panic and hence the delay and the new FBI investigation.

Their trick worked, so they are urging activists to get out there and get in theirfaces, etcetera. Right out of Maxine Water’s playbook. The uncertain or confused or wafflers can expect to be singled out, as can anyone else who shows interest in or tolerance for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. “You look at me when I’m talking to you” one yelled.

(Remember those two men who called to say it was probably them, not Kavanaugh and offered confirming information). We will probably never hear about them again.

The chant seems to be “We Believe Survivors” but Christine Blasey Ford is not a survivor, nor was she raped. Her complaint was that aside from not being able to remember quite where she was and with whom, the man put his hand over her mouth and groped her, and she was afraid he was going to kill her. There is no evidence that that person was Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and until there is such evidence, he must by law (and one would think—common decency) refrain from assuming guilt. That is the law in this country.

Another disturbing toll in dangerous Chicago. At least 21 people were shot this weekend, Friday through Sunday in Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago. The wounded, it is reported, included an 11 year old girl who was shot while standing outside with a 17-year-old girl on Sunday. Someone drove by and just started shooting. The 11 year old was shot in the chest. Last weekend, 28 were shot. Over the weekend of August 18-21 over 50 were shot and six people were killed. Thirty-three were shot over August 10-13, and over 70 were shot August 3 through the morning of August 6, and 11 died of their wounds. That’s 169 shot on August weekends,17 dead. And nothing much changes?

ADDENDUM: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has given up hopes of a third term after the numbers of shot, wounded and killed continued to rise over this Labor Day Weekend. At least 25 people were shot and another 6 shot and killed. That carnage is the background for Emmanuel’s decision to pull out of the mayoral race. He was also under pressure over tax hikes and “regular criticisms that he hadn’t done enough to provide more job and economic opportunities on the South and West sides” the areas that have suffered the brunt of the city’s gun crime. There will, of course be cries for banning guns, but long time evidence demonstrates clearly that to fail as a solution. Chicago is often said to have the strictest gun laws in the country, and they have tried to, but the courts keep finding their laws unconstitutional.

City residents can own firearms under special conditions: They must be 21 years old and possess a firearm owner’s identification card and a concealed carry license, issued by the Illinois State Police. Before receiving a concealed carry license, residents must complete a 16 hour training course which includes a gun range test that residents must pass as well as coursework on gun safety. Also a background check and a $150 application fee, and no criminal convictions. Those with concealed carry permits are prohibited from bringing firearms into schools, public parks and playgrounds, government buildings, public transit, and any building with a “no gun” sign or sticker clearly visible at the entrance. They don’t recognize out-of-state-issued concealed-carry permits. As of June, there were 246,769 active concealed-carry permits in Illinois. Those who are just sure that more gun laws will actually prevent much of anything should pay attention.